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H. CHAMBERS.

MAIL BOX.

APPLIOATIONIILBD JAN. I3, 1912. 15024:,6 1 7. Patented Apr. 30, 1912.

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MAIL BOX. APPLIOAITION FILED JAN. 13, 1912. 1,024,617. Patented Apr. 30, 1912.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0.. WASHINGTON. h?

HARRY CHAMBERS, OF LAKEWOOD, NEW JERSEY.

MAIL-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Apr. 30, 1912.

Application filed January 13, 1912. Serial No. 670,982.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY CHAMBERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lakewood, in the county of Ocean and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Boxes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawlngs.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in mail boxes and has for its object to provide a box of this character which is to be secured to the side of the house on the outside for the mail carrier to deposit the mail in, the locking means for said box being controlled from the inside of the house, this doing away with the use of keys which are often lost.

In using the mail boxes that are unlocked by keys, it is often necessary for a person to stand outside to unlock the box when it is raining or snowing and in fact in all kinds of disagreeable weather.

Another object of my invention is to provide means whereby the box may be unlocked from the inside, thus allowing one to step out, take the mail out of the box and close the door.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mail box which will possess advantages in points of efiiciency and durability, is inexpensive of manufacture and at the same time is simple in construction and operation.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel features of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, pointed out in the claim and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective View of my improved mail box. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on theline 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4: is a sectional view on the line 4.4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the keeper member; and Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view showing a modified form of the actuating means.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 indicates the body of the box having a door 2 hinged to the front side thereof, and a slot 3 is formed in the front of the box to receive the letters and other mail matter. A bell crank lever A is disposed within the box and having its intermediate portions pivoted on the pin 5 secured in one side of the box. The outer end of this lever is enlarged as shown at 6 and bifurcated to form the catch member 7 adapted to engage with the keeper member 8 secured to the edge of the door.

A guide casing 9 is secured to the rear of the body 1 and extends through the side of the house and communicates with the interior of the house. A threaded rod 10 is disposed in this casing having one end looped to form the eye 11, which is mounted on the pivot pin 12 carried by the lower end of the bell crank lever 1. The other end of this rod is threaded into the tubular rod 13 which is provided with the interior threads 14.

Mounted on the tubular rod 13 is a sleeve 15 adapted to inclose the coil spring 15 which is mounted on the rod 13, a cap 17 is provided which is threaded into the end of the sleeve to hold the spring in place. An annular flange 18 is formed on the rod 13 against which one end of the spring is adapted to bear, the other end of said spring bearing against the cap 17. Asubstantially rectangular plate 19 is formed on the outer end of said sleeve and adapted to be secured to the end of the guide casing 9 to hold the sleeve 15 in a substantially horizontal position, whereby the rods 13 and 10 will be held in an operative position. A stop 20 is threaded into the outer end of the sleeve to prevent the rod 13 from com ing out of the sleeve. A thumb piece 21 is formed on the outer end of the rod 13 whereby the same may be easily pressed inwardly to release the catch 7 from the keeper 8, and a resilient spring plate 22 is secured to the body of the box adjacent to the door opening and adapted to engage the door to force the same to its open position when it is released. A housing 23 is secured to one side of the body 1 on the interior thereof and adapted to partially inclose the bell crank lever 4 so that the mail matter will not interfere with the operation of the same.

In Fig. 6, I have shown a modified form of means for operating the bell crank lever,

the rod 10 is the same as described in the preferred form of my invention, said rod being threaded into a tubular rod 247 which is provided on its outer end with the thumb piece 25. A plate 26 is mounted on the rod 24. and. is secured to the end of the casing 9 to form a guide for said red. A coil spring 27 is mounted on the rod 10 and having one end bearing against the inner end of the casing 9, the other end of said spring hearing against the inner end of the tubular rod 2%, so that when pressure is exerted on the thumb piece the catch member 7 will be released from the keeper member. If a person of the house wishes to gain access to the box, they press on the thumb piece 21 which releases the catch 7 from the keeper 8, and the spring plate 22 will force the door to an open position.

lVith the above description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages, use and operation of my device will. be readily understood.

lVhile I have shown and described the preferred form of my invention, it will be obvious that various changes in the details of construction and in the proportions may be resorted to for successfully carrying my invention into practice without sacrificing any of the novel features or departing from the scope thereof.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed is In a device of the character described, the combination of a body having a door hinged. to one side thereof, a keeper member secured to said door, a bell crank lever pivotally mounted within said body having a catch formed 011 the outer end thereof to engage the keeper member on the door, a guide casing secured to the rear of said body, a horizontal rod disposed within said casing, an eye formed on one end of said rod and pivotally connected to the lower end of said lever, a tubular rod threaded on the other end of said rod, a coil spring mounted on said tubular rod, a sleeve mounted on the tubular rod to inclose said spring, an annular flange formed on the tubular rod. disposed within said sleeve and adapted to bear against one end of the spring, and a thumb piece formed on the outer end of the tubular rod adapted to be pressed to reciprocate said rods and actuate the bell crank lever to release the catch from the keeper member.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HARRY CHAMBERS.

Vitnesses ANNA B. GANT, JAMES E. GAN'r.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

